The end of an era: Ted Turner, CNN founder and media pioneer, dies at 87

Ted Turner, the visionary media mogul who transformed television news and built a global cable empire, died peacefully on Wednesday, surrounded by family, according to a press release from CNN. He was 87.

The Ohio-born businessman, nicknamed "The Mouth of the South" for being so outspoken, revolutionized how Americans consumed news, the press release states. On June 1, 1980, Turner launched CNN, the first 24-hour news channel, fundamentally changing the media landscape. 

"He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN," said Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, in CNN’s report. "Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand."

Building a media empire

Turner's journey began with his father's billboard business, which he inherited and transformed. He converted a struggling Atlanta UHF station into WTBS, pioneering the superstation concept that delivered programming to 2 million cable subscribers via satellite in the mid-1970s, Variety confirmed. He later created TNT and Turner Network Television, establishing himself as a force in basic cable.

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According to Variety, Turner expanded CNN with a second 24-hour network in 1982 and CNN International in 1985. He also launched the Cartoon Network and created "Captain Planet and the Planeteers," an animated series promoting environmental awareness, Variety confirmed. In 1991, Time magazine named him Man of the Year for "influencing the dynamic of events and turning viewers in 150 countries into instant witnesses of history," CNN noted.

Philanthropy and legacy

Beyond media, Turner became a transformative philanthropist, donating $1 billion to establish the United Nations Foundation, Variety confirmed. "Everybody could be doing more! Nobody's doing enough," he told Variety back in an interview with the platform in 2012. According to Variety, he championed nuclear disarmament and conservation, playing a crucial role in reintroducing bison to the American West.

Turner was also a sports innovator, owning the Atlanta Braves and serving as an accomplished yachtsman, CNN added. In September 2018, CNN stated that he publicly disclosed his battle with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder affecting memory and cognitive function. Turner is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.